r 


1  he...F=-cii'm  (Colonies 

Salvo  Non 
Arnw.^ 


BY  cohmander  booth=tucker. 


L  A  cNs'^  Pauper  ‘Po  tcy. 


Nobody  who  has  considered  the  question  can  fail  to  be  struck  with 
the  inadequacy  of  poor  relief,  as  Kenerally  dispensed.  I  have  addressed 
large  audiences  in  different  parts  of  the  country  on  the  subject  of  an 
improved  system,  and  have  everywhere  found  a  perfect  unanimitv  of 
opinion  upon  the  subject.  The  present  method,  though  actuated  by  the 
highest  humanitarian  motives,  falls  far  short  of  the  desired  result, 
inasmuch  as  it  only  reUeves,  instead  of  altering  the  position  of  the  person 
to  be  benefited;  lienee  the  ever  recurring  necessity  of  repeating  the 
relief,  with  all  its  disappointing  and  burdensome  consequences  to  the 
State  and  to  the  [ihilanthi  opist. 


.1 


II,  The  CondHion  of  Our  Cities, 

It  is  universally  acliiiitted  that  coiiiiiiercial  depressions,  the  adoption 
of  labor-savin''  devices  etc.,  have  produced  a  very  distressing  condition 
of  affaits  amongst  the  poor  of  our  great  cities,  vast  numbers  of  our 
industrious  population  being  totally  unable  to  procure  employment. 
Upon  these  workless  toilers  tliere  must  be  dei)endent,  at  the  lowest 
calculation,  three  tunes  as  many  helpless  sufferers,  who  by  sex,  age, 
sickness  or  other  circumstances  are  incapacitated  from  wage  earning. 

III.  The  Natura-t  Remedy. 

We  i)ropose  to  assist  the  poor  to  work  out  their  own  social  redemption, 
by  making  it  i)o.ssible  for  them  (o  locate  on  small  farms,  where  they  can 


4 


dig  from  the  ground  almost  everything  they  require  in  the  way  of  food, 
besides  having  something  to  spare  for  their  other  necessities. 

IV.  The  Colonists, 

It  is  proposed  to  settle  the  Colonists  on  ten-acre  tracts,  which  will  be 
paid  for  by  them  in  small  weekly  instalments  of  one  to  two  dollars. 
Cottages  will  be  erected,  implements  and  live  stock  will  be  supplied  and 
small  loan  associations  established  on  the  German  Raiffeisen  model,  so 
strongly  advocated  by  the  Agricultural  Department  at  Washington. 
(Report  No  3  of  1892,  U  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  on  Co  operative 
Credit  Associations.) 

No  difficulty  whatever  has  been  experienced  in  securing  any  number 


5 


of  Colonists  that  may  be  required.  Ninety  per  cent,  of  those  who  have 
already  applied  are  agriculturists,  who  have  drifted  to  tlie  city  and  are 
anxious  for  an  opportunity  of  getting  back  to  the  land.  Forty  percent, 
of  them  have  little  savings  of  their  own  which  would  help  them  to  make 
a  start.  They  are  of  a  thrifty  and  capable  character,  but  have  not 
sufficient  means  to  buy  their  own  land,  or  commence  on  their  own 
account.  Yet  their  removal  from  the  cities  would  greatly  relieve  the 
congestion  of  the  population. 

V.  The  Land. 

Land  has  been  offered  in  twenty-three  different  States,  in  blocks 
varying  from  1,000  to  400,000  acres.  Much  of  this  is  of  excellent  quality, 


e 


and  at  very  moderate  prices  It  is  proposed  for  the  present  to  give  the 
preference  to  irrigated  lands  in  the  West  Central  States,  as  they  are  the 
least  liable  to  droughts  and  other  agricultural  disturbances. 

VL  Our  First  Colony. 

Our  first  Colony  has  already  been  started  in  California.  Wearied  by 
the  continued  expenditure  of  large  sums  of  money  to  supply  food  and 
other  necessities  to  out  of  woric  citizens,  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  San 
Francisco  invited  me  to  address  them  on  the  subject  of  Pauper  Policy, 
and  so  impresed  were  they  with  my  plan  to  get  the  city  surplusage  into 
the  country  on  farms  that  they  appointed  a  committee  to  make  a 
thorough  investigation  of  this  plan.  The  enquiry  resulted  in  the 


formation  of  a  Citizens’  Committee  of  Co  operation,  composed  of  L  R. 
Ellert,  ex  mayor  of  San  Francisco ;  Hugh  Craig,  President  of  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce;  George  F.  Butler,  member  of  the  Board  of  Underwriters ; 
Wm.  M.  Bunker,  proprietor  of  the  Daily  Report;  F.  A.  Hihn,  merchant; 


I  J.  Truman,  President  of  the  Columbian  Bank;  Philip  Lihenthal, 
President  of  the  Anglo  Californian  Bank,  and  other  leading  business  men, 
which  has  been  instrumental  in  raising  funds  to  make  an  immediate  com¬ 
mencement,  Mr.  Claus  Spreckels.  of  national  repute,  setting  his  seal  to 
the  plan  by  subscribing  one  thousand  dollars  ($1,000)  towards  the  project. 

Land  has  since  been  acquired,  and  the  Colonists  are  at  present 
preparing  the  soil  for  next  year's  crops. 


8 


VII .  Form  of  Organization. 

To  develop  and  administer  the  project  a  National  Colonization  ^ 
sociation  has  been  formed  by  the  Salvation  Army. 

The  Funds  will  be  held  and  administered  by  five  Trustees,  of  whom  Com- 
mander  Booth-Tucker  will  be  one,  the  others  being  chosen  from  among  the 

principal  subscribers. 

Trust  Certificates,  bearing  interest  at  5  per  cent,  per  annum  in  any  multiple 
of  a  dollar  will  be  issued  by  the  Trustees  as  soon  as  the  subscriptions 
have  reached  the  sum  of  $50,000.  No  contributions  will  be  payable  until 
this  amount  has  been  subscribed.  , 


9 


BASIS  OF  CALCULATION  FOR 

Estimated  Annual  Income  and  Expen- 
Initial  Cost. 


No.  of 
Families. 

No.  of 
Souls. 

Instalment 
for  Land. 
(One  tenth.) 

C()tta*^es. 

Outfit,  etc. 

Loan 

/tssociation, 

Tiital 

Outlay. 

1 

100 

1.000 

2.000 

3.000 

4,000 

5,000 

10.000 

5 

500 

5  000 
10.000, 

•  15.000 

20  000 
25,000 
50,000 

25 

2,500 

25.000 

50,000 

75.000 

100,000 

125,000 

250,000 

125 
12,500 
125,000 
250,000 
375,000 
500, 000 
625,000 
1,250  000 

150 

15  000 
150,000 
300,000 
450  000 
600,000 
750,000 
1,500,000 

200 
20,000 
200,000 
400  000 
600,000 
800,000 
1,000,000 
2,000,000 

500 
50,000 
.  500,000 

1,000  000 
1,500,000 
2,000,000 
2,500,000 
5,000,000 

The  cost  of  admin istratin^r  the  affairs  of  the  Colony  will  be  verv  small  and  it  is 
its  manager  will  operate.  lo  *  ’ . 


ESTABLISHING  A  COLONY. 

diture,  till  Farms  ha-ve  been  Paid  for. 


Annual  Income.  Annual  Expenditure. 


Set!  lers 
Weekly 
Itistalmeiil 
of  S1.50 

Interest  1  o 
Loan 

.\ssociation 
at  5  p.  c. 

Total 

Income. 

Interest  on 
Capital. 

lust  alment 
(in  Land. 

Total 

Pay  m<  nts. 

SinUmg  Fund 
for  tlie 
Repayment 
of  Capital 
Invested. 

78 

10 

88 

25 

25 

50  1 

38 

7,800 

1,000 

8,800  I 

2,500 

2,500 

5,000  ' 

2,800  , 

78,000 

10,000 

88,000 

25,000 

25,000 

50,000 

38,000 

156,000 

20,000 

176.000 

50,000 

50,000 

100,000  ' 

76,000 

234,000 

30,000 

264,000 

75,000 

75,000 

150,000 

114,000  ! 

312  000 

40,000 

352,000 

100,000 

100,000 

200,000 

152,000 

390,000 

50,000 

440,000 

125,000 

1 25,000 

250,000 

190,000 

780,000 

100,000 

880,000 

250,000 

250,000 

500,000 

1  380,000  ' 

expeoted  that  it  can  be  met  to  a  large  extent  by  the  profits  of  a  model  farm  which 

11 


PRINTED  AT  NATIONAL  HEADQUARTERS,  NEW  YORK  CITY. 


